I have had such fun this past month decorating, organizing and compiling photo shoots of my home that I can display and share on my blog! In the meantime, I have also taken on 2 other design projects....a full basement renovation and a complete kitchen redesign. Am hoping that I can also share the transformation of those spaces on this blog as well.
I am spending this Remembrance Day long weekend at the lake with my Mom and Dad, sister and her 2 beautiful children.....my nephew and niece whom I absolutely adore. My own children are with their Dad this weekend and I am missing them. The snow has created a blanket over the northern prairie ground here and it has truly become a winter wonderland. I took the following photos on my walk this morning as I reflected and thought about what I would like to share on my blog today.
This weekend is always a time of reflection for me. My maternal grandfather, my Papa, was one of the first Canadian soldiers to arrive in Groningen, Holland, as he was a Canadian Liberator. I am not sure that I will ever be able to fully comprehend just exactly what he saw, experienced and how it affected him. Although he was never able to share many of his memories, as I suspect he found it simply too difficult, I learned very much from my Papa during our very special times together. I was blessed to be the oldest grandchild and because my Papa was only 43 yrs old when I was born, we shared many wonderful years together. In fact, all 3 of my children enjoyed a relationship with him as a loving and supportive great-grandfather which is so precious in this day and age.
On this weekend in particular, I find myself reflecting on the influence that my Papa has had on my life. It was my Papa who took a particular interest in teaching me to drive. Our visits always included a driving lesson whether it be to the local corner store for orange crush and Old Dutch potato chips, to KFC for a bucket of Champs Chicken as he referred to it, or through the prairie countryside for a leisurely drive. As my mind wanders back to those special times, I remember the lessons learned from him. And yes, while he was teaching me to drive, I can see now that the lessons weren't all about driving a vehicle. His stories, comments, suggestions, insights and encouragement were related to driving safely through life...navigating through the challenges, hills, valleys, roadblocks and detours of life. At the time, as a young teenage girl, I didn't realize the importance or significance of these lessons.
As I look back over the past few years, one of the most difficult of life's challenges that I have had to "drive" or navigate through, include death. At this time of year when we bow our heads in honour of Remembrance Day, and reflect on the lives lost and sacrificed through death, I think of some of those lessons taught by my Papa. One of his most important messages to us was:
The past is history,
Tomorrow is a mystery,
Today is a gift.
Death is part of life. And it comes in many different forms....it could be the end of a life, the end of a relationship, the end of a work term, the end of a project or the end of living in a certain place or time. How we navigate through these deaths is what creates the depth of our character. As Papa said, we can't change the past or control what happens around us. All we can do is be responsible for our own actions and celebrate the day we have before us because we don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Just as in driving a vehicle, we can't know what the drivers around us are going to do, we just need to be ready to be responsible for our own vehicle.
One of the most difficult deaths that I have had to deal with is the end of my married relationship and ultimately divorce. Sometimes, you have to allow yourself to let go of the wheel.... and unfortunately, sometimes the result is fatal. You don't see it coming necessarily, as you can't control the other driver. All you can do is take responsibility for your own actions and navigate through it as best you can.....trying not to create any more fatalities in the process. And, as in all deaths, there is rebirth. The debris clears, the ground thaws and before you know it, new life emerges. And the life that does emerge is more meaningful and more beautiful than you can ever imagine. It takes sacrifice, and letting go of things that you realize aren't important at all so that you can fully enjoy and appreciate all that is important in life. The transformation of my little house on the prairie is an example of just that. The creation of a house into a home that reflects the values and life that I wish to create for myself, my children, my extended family and my friends. In my home I wish to share this journey of life with those who "drive" and navigate through the challenges of life as my passengers. And I trust them to take the wheel.
Papa, I miss you. I appreciate your lessons more now than I have ever have. You taught me it is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice. That it is more important to give than to receive. That there are some things that money can't buy like manners, morals and intelligence. Because of you, I think to myself, what a wonderful world.
xo Your Princess
